Installation of linoleum



July 31, 1934. w. B. COLEMAN INSTALLATION OF LINOLEUM FiledFeb. 21.1931

00000 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOGOOOOOOOOO INVENT OR ATTORNEY ooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooo-ooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo oooofooooooooooooooo OOOOOOOOOOOO'OOOOOOOOOOO Patented July 31, 1934 UNITED STATES INSTALLATION OF LINOLEUM William B. Coleman, Arlington, N; J assignor to Congoleum-Nairn Inc.

ration of New York Kearny, N. J., a corpo- Application February 21, 1931, Serial No. 517,534

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to the installation of linoleum or similar floor covering and more particularly to the installation of linoleum wherein an improvedtype of lining felt or paper is employed and wherein the linoleum is permanently bonded to the sub-floor.

In the installation of linoleum it has been the common practice to interpose a lining of heavy felt or paper between the sub-floor and the lino- 10 leum particularly where the installation is made over wooden floors. This is done in order to relieve linoleum from the direct application of strains caused by shrinkage and expansion of the floor boards, and to smooth out surface irregularities. According to the conventional practice, a suitable adhesive is first applied to the sub-floor, a solid sheet of felt is laid thereon, and the linoleum is bonded to the upper surface of the felt through the medium of a second layer of adhesive. The felt being structurally weak and of a generally laminar formation, allows the. floor boards to expand and contract without transmitting a rupturingstrain to the linoleum, due to the yielding of the felted fibers .or to actual slippage between the laminae. However, this very characteristic of lining felt which dictates its use, frequently proves detrimental. For instance, where there is a tendency for the edge of the linoleum to curl upwardly, the strain may cause the felt to split or delaminate in a horizontal plane and allow the linoleum to curl from the sub-floor.

Again, where the expansion and contraction of.

the sub-floor is excessive, or even under heavy traffic, the felt tends to become delaminated in a short time, leaving the linoleum unsecured to the sub-floor and, therefore, subject to buckling and curling.

I have found that these enumerated disadvantages may be eliminated, while retaining substantially all of the recognized advantages of a felt lining, and that numerous other advantages may be secured, by employing a perforated cushion layer or lining felt in contradistinction to a solid sheet, and by eliminating the layer of cementing material which is used to bond the felt to the sub-floor. Broadly, by invention contem'- plates a flooring construction and method of installing the same in which a lining pad or cushion layer of perforated felt, paper or equivalent is interposed between a flooring of linoleum and a sub-floor, and in which the linoleum is permanently bonded directly to the sub-floor at spaced points as well as to the upper surface of the felt lining. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the details of one preferred embodiment of the flooring construction of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation through the sub-floor, linoleum and lining, showing the manner in which the linoleum is bonded directly to the sub-floor;

Fig. 3 is a plane view illustrative of one preferred form of lining.

Referring to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, there is shown in Fig. 1 a wooden floor made up of boards 2. Strips of my improved perforated felt 3, hereinafter described, are laid directly upon the floor, preferably without the usual intermediate layer of cement. Over the perforated pad or felt is next spread a layer of adhesive 5, such as is commonly used in the installation of linoleum, the adhesive material being applied in suflicient amount to fill the penforations in the felt as well as to completely coat the upper surface thereof. The linoleum, or similar floor covering, 6, is then applied to the prepared area in the usual manner, and rolled or otherwise pressed to effect a uniform bond.

Referring to Fig. 2, it is observed that the adhesive material not only serves to secure the linoleum to the upper surface of the felt, but, in extending through the perforations, also functions to bond the linoleum directly to the subfloor at spaced points as indicated at 7.

The novel perforated cushion layer or lining which I employ may be prepared from the usual saturated gray lining felt made of rags and paper stock, such as is commonly used for laying linoleum. This standard felt is approximately\.05-.10 of an inch in thickness andweighs from one to one and one-half pounds per square yard. The

felt is perforated by any suitable means to provide a very large number of small openings uniformly distributed, as indicated in Fig. 3. As an example of one preferred embodiment, the felt may be provided with perforations which are approximately 1 5" in diameter and from center to center, adjacent rows of openings being staggered as indicated in Fig. 3. The exact form and relative positioning of the perforations is unimportant, except that such openings should be uniformly distributed and should comprise only a minor portion, say 15% to 25%, of the entire area of the felt. While I prefer to use unsaturated lining felt or paper, it is also within the perview of my invention to use a waterproof felt or paper such as asphalt-saturated felt, if desired.

There are many advantages to be derived from the economies which it offers.

the use of the novel lining in the flooring construction described. Substantially all of the benefits afiorded by the use of the conventional form of felt lining are retained, but at the same time the linoleum is permanently secured directly to the sub-floor at spaced points. This direct bond is very much stronger than the usual indirect bond through the medium of two layers of cement and a solid sheet of felt, and it substantially eliminates thepossibility of failure of the installation through delamination of the felt. The multiplicity of direct bonds between the linoleum and the sub-floor being spaced as described, afiords suflicient flexibility to permit the sub-floor to expand and contract without transmitting undue strain to the linoleum. By omitting the layer of cement beneath the felt, the lining functions much more emciently in correcting irregularities in the surface of the sub-floor than is the case where the felt is disposed between two rigid layers of paste. The improved construction also offers a considerable number of substantial economies. The weight of the felt is substantially less, thus reducing shipping charges. Where the layer of adhesive between the felt and sub-floor is omitted, as in the preferred embodiment, only about 60% as much adhesive is required for complete installation, and the amount of labor required is likewise proportionately reduced.

As above described I prefer to omit the layer of adhesive material beneath the perforated This practice is, however, not vital for a successful installation, but is rather chosen because of It is quite possible to practice the other features of my invention and, to a large degree, realize the advantages thereof in those cases where, for some reason, it is desired to bond the felt to the sub-floor with a continuous layer of adhesive.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not thus limited but may be otherwise practiced within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a flooring construction, a sub-floor, a floor covering, a perforated lining disposed intermedieeaaac ate the sub-floor and floor covering, and an adhe= sive material filling the perforations in said lining and forming direct adhesive bonds between the floor covering and the sub-floor.

2. In a flooring construction, a sub-floor, a floor covering, a perforated lining disposed intermediate the sub-fioor and floor covering, and an adhesive material uniting the floor covering to the adjacent surface of the lining and extending into and through the perforations, thereby forming direct adhesive bonds between the floor covering and the sub-floor.

3. In a flooring construction, a sub-floor, a floor covering, a perforated lining felt disposed in contact with the sub-floor and intermediate the subfloor and floor covering, and an adhesive material uniting the floor covering to the adjacent surface of the lining and extending into and through the perforations of the felt, thereby forming direct adhesive bonds between the floor covering and the sub-floor at a multiplicity of spaced points.

4. The method of installing linoleum or similar floor covering which comprises laying directly on a sub-floor a lining of perforated felt, spreading over said lining a quantity of adhesive material, sufiicient in amount to coat the surface of the felt and to completely fill the perforations therein and applying over said adhesive a layer of linoleum or similar floor covering, whereby the floor covering becomes united with the felt lining and directly bonded to the sub-floor at a multiplicity of spaced points. 1

5. In combination, a covering overlying a cushion layer which is spread over a floor base, and plastic adhesive means extending through openings in the cushion layer to connect the covering directly to the floor base.

6. The method of laying a floor covering which consists in putting down a perforated pad upon a floor base, in applying over the pad a plastic adhesive in quantities sufiicient' (1) to pass through the perforations of the pad for direct contact with the floor base and (2) to spread upon the upper face thereof, and in applying over the upper face of the pad a covering which by the adhesive is secured directly to the floor base.

WILLIAM B. COLEMAN. 

